


Balance

by fatefortuna



Series: Romulan AU [1]
Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: The Original Series
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Episode: s01e08 Balance of Terror, M/M, Romulans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-04
Updated: 2019-01-04
Packaged: 2019-10-04 10:20:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17302850
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fatefortuna/pseuds/fatefortuna
Summary: A retelling of the Original Series episode “Balance of Terror,” in which Spock is actually a Romulan spy. K/S is assumed.





	Balance

**Author's Note:**

> The Romulans in this story are based on their two appearances in the Original Series, with some supplementary worldbuilding drawn from Diane Duane’s Rihannsu books. Thanks to www.chakoteya.net for the transcript of “Balance of Terror,” which I used extensively!

_Captain's Log, stardate 1709.2. Patrolling outposts guarding the neutral zone between planets Romulus and Remus and the rest of the galaxy, received emergency call from Outpost 4. The U.S.S. Enterprise is moving to investigate and assist._

Spock sat in the _Enterprise_ ’s command chair, waiting pensively. He was relieved, both literally and militarily, when the captain re-entered the bridge.

“Outpost 4 reported under attack, sir. Then message terminates,” said Communications Officer Uhura.

“Verified, Captain,” Spock contributed, exchanging looks with Kirk. He ceded the chair and resumed his usual station. Kirk circled the room like a predator as the bridge crew called out information.

“Our speed is now maximum, sir.”

“Position, eight minutes from Outpost 4 at this velocity, sir.” 

“Scotty.”

“I've talked to my engine room, sir. We'll get more speed out of her.”

“Did Outpost 4 give anything at all on the attacking vessel, Lieutenant?” 

“No identification, sir.” 

“There can't be much doubt who's attacking, sir.”

That was Lt. Stiles. Spock had been aware of the lieutenant as a problem for some time, but in a potential engagement with the Romulans, Spock would have to be even more vigilant.

“Mister Spock, put this star sector on our screen,” the Captain ordered, returning to the chair, not yet responding to Stiles. Spock complied. 

“Now show our position. Signal this to all decks, Lieutenant,” Kirk said to Uhura.

“All decks standing by, sir.”

“This is the Captain speaking,” Kirk said. He was businesslike, but unhurried. “In our next action, we can risk neither miscalculation, nor error, by any man aboard. Listen carefully. Science Officer.”

Spock was prepared. He must keep his voice even. He must think of the textbooks he had studied, and nothing more.

“Referring to the map on your screens, you will note beyond the moving position of our vessel, a line of Earth outpost stations,” he began. “Constructed on asteroids, they monitor the Neutral Zone established by treaty after the Earth-Romulan conflict of a century ago. As you may recall from your histories, this conflict was fought, by our standards today, with primitive atomic weapons and in primitive space vessels which allowed no quarter, no captives.”

_The reason Stiles hated Romulans, and perhaps the reason both sides had remained so silent since then._

“Nor was there even ship-to-ship visual communication,” he continued. “Therefore, no human, Romulan, or ally has ever seen the other. Earth believes the Romulans to be warlike, cruel, treacherous... and only the Romulans know what they think of Earth.” 

_We think you are a cold, savage, childish people who mourn their own dead, but no others. A stereotype just as inaccurate as the Earthers’ of the Rihannsu -- the Romulans. Earthers were emotional than Vulcans, certainly, but gentle, not savage. Treasuring the soft emotions as well as the hard. The mind and the soul. Cravingly curious and eager to please. Nothing like us, and yet everything._

“The treaty, set by sub-space radio, established this Neutral Zone, entry into which by either side, would constitute an act of war. The treaty has been unbroken since that time,” Spock finished. “Captain.”

“What you do not know, and must be told,” Kirk continued, “is that my command orders on this subject are precise and inviolable. No act, no provocation will be considered sufficient reason to violate the zone. We may defend ourselves, but if necessary to avoid interspace war, both these outposts and this vessel will be considered expendable. Captain out.”

Kirk closed the channel, and Spock relaxed imperceptibly. No longer on broadcast to the entire ship, he could think again. He’d had no warning of this Romulan attack -- if it was a Romulan attack, but he had no reason to think otherwise. He had no orders, no way of knowing his best course of action to support the Empire’s operation. He had spent so long reminding himself to be Commander Spock, First Officer of the Enterprise, and before that a long career in Starfleet, always telling himself to be stoic, to put the Federation first, that he wasn’t sure he remembered how to be Agent Havraha ir-Ra'tleihfi tr’Ahaefvthe of the Rihannsu Empire.

He glanced at the captain. James Kirk. His friend. His… something, if that had ever been an option. 

Spock must not allow himself to be discovered. Unless he was somehow ordered to do so… And he didn’t want to think about that happening.

Kirk was on his feet again, prowling the bridge.

“We know Outpost 4 has been attacked, sir,” Lt. Stiles said, “so if we intercept Romulans now--” 

“After a whole century, what will a Romulan ship look like, Mister Stiles?” Kirk interrupted, facing the officer and closing in on him. “I doubt they'll radio and identify themselves.”

“You'll know, sir,” Stiles continued, undeterred. “They're painted like a giant bird-of-prey.” 

“I had no idea that history was your specialty,” said Kirk. 

Spock stayed silent, listening closely. Should he intervene? What could he say? But he recognized Kirk’s tone and the hard look in his eyes. Deceptively gentle, meant to draw out information. They were about to enter a military engagement, and Stiles was as yet an unknown factor. And he was Kirk’s responsibility, on top of that. Kirk would not allow anything to jeopardize his ship, even one of his own men.

Stiles seemed too grim to hear the tone, looking somewhere beyond the captain. “Family history. There was a Captain Stiles was in the space service then. Two Commanders and several junior officers. All lost in that war, sir.”

“Their war, Mister Stiles,” said Kirk. “Not yours. Don't forget it.” 

This time the velvet-steel voice registered, and Stiles glanced down. “Yes, sir.”

“Outpost two coming into sensor range, Captain,” Spock announced, the exchange finished. 

“Outpost 2 was the first to go silent, Lieutenant?” Kirk asked. 

“Yes, Captain,” Uhura answered, “then Outpost three an hour later.”

“Sweeping the area of Outpost 2,” Spock said. “Sensor reading indefinite. Double-checking Outpost 3. I read... dust. And debris. Both Earth outposts gone, and the asteroids they were constructed on... pulverised.”

Spock looked up. Kirk gave quiet orders for command reports and battle stations as they approached Outpost 4, and Spock turned away from his gaze.

“Outpost 4 now five minutes away, sir,” said Stiles. 

“And showing on my sensors, Captain,” said Spock. “At least it's still there.”

Maybe he could still salvage this situation somehow. That, or information from outpost four’s survivors would complicate things even more. Kirk paused at Spock’s side for a moment.

“Sir, regaining contact with Outpost 4,” Uhura said. “Switching to speakers.”

Kirk moved back to the side of his chair, and they all heard a raspy voice.

“Outpost 4. Do you read me, Enterprise? This is Commander Hansen.”

“Kirk here. We're minutes away, Hansen. What's your status?” 

“Outposts 2, 3, and 8 are gone. Unknown weapon. Completely destroyed, even though we were alerted. Had our deflector shield on maximum. Hit by enormous power. First attack blew our deflector shield. If they hit us again with our deflector shield gone... Do you read me, Enterprise?”

Spock moved to Uhura’s side, helping her maintain the signal.

Kirk’s face was grim. “Confirm what hit you, Hansen. What vessel? Identity?”

“Space vessel, only glimpse of…”

“Can you locate the intruder for us?” Kirk pressed. 

“Negative,” Hansen gasped. “It seems to have disappeared somehow. I have you on my screen now. Switching to visual.”

Uhura didn’t need Spock’s help, and he wasn’t getting any extra information standing over her shoulder. He moved to Kirk’s side, and when Uhura tied in the signal, they all saw the commander. A blonde man in a sooty gold uniform, with burns and grime on his hands and face. Badly injured, in the wreckage of his command center. Something was on fire behind him. 

“Enterprise, can you see it? My command post here. We're a mile deep on an asteroid. Almost solid iron. And even through our deflectors, it did this. Can you see?”

“Affirmative. You're visual, Hansen,” Kirk assured the commander, keeping his voice level. “What do you have on the intruder?”

“No identification,” Hansen gasped, defeated. “No answer to our challenge. Only a glimpse of it. Then they fired something at us, some form of high-energy plasma. Fantastic power.”

The plasma cannon. If they’d managed to equip a starship with a plasma cannon, what could Spock do? 

_Nothing. You do nothing. There are no options._ Spock exchanged a glance with Kirk and raised an eyebrow, conveying his lack of ability to help. Kirk would assume it was lack of knowledge.

“And then the whole vessel disappeared,” Hansen continued. “But it's out there somewhere. Our sensors show that much. Enterprise, something coming on our viewing screen, coming at us fast.”

“Lock us onto your screen,” Kirk responded urgently.

“Switching. Can you see it, Enterprise? Can you see it?” Hansen gasped, more frantically now. “It's becoming visible in the centre of my screen.” 

A ship slowly materialized in front of the starfield. A Rihannsu ship, undoubtedly. Circular, with short nacelles angled behind it. And they had perfected the cloaking device. 

It had been too long since he’d had news. If he’d known this technology was ready, he might have known about the attacks in advance… but of course, why should he need to know? How would the Rihannsu have known their spy would be aboard the ship sent to intercept? It didn’t matter now. The ship was bearing down on Outpost 4.

“Do you have phaser capacity?” Kirk asked. “We're still out of range.”

“Negative,” Hansen breathed, drooping. “Phasers gone. Weapons crew dead.” 

Spock had no time to work out a defense against the plasma cannon, and the time when a warning would have helped was long past. They had only moments.

“Make a challenge, warn that ship off,” Kirk ordered quickly.

“Trying to, sir,” said Uhura. “They don't acknowledge.”

They wouldn’t acknowledge anyone, not during an attack. Not a Federation ship, not Spock, not the Emperor himself.

The ship fired. For a moment, they all saw Hansen again, then a bright light as the outpost exploded. The viewscreen flicked back to the previous channel, showing the Rihannsu ship as it slowly disappeared. 

The bridge stayed silent for a long moment, then Spock looked into his viewer again to confirm what had happened. “Outpost 4... disintegrated, Captain.” 

“Position of the intruder, Mister Spock,” Kirk requested. The whole bridge still seemed stunned.

“Disappeared. Interesting how they became visible for just a moment,” Spock responded. He heard a disconcerting rattle in his own voice. 

“When they opened fire,” Kirk agreed. “Perhaps necessary when they use their weapon.”

“I have a blip on the motion sensor, Captain,” Spock reported. Others would see it too. “Could be the intruder.”

“Go to full magnification.”

“Screen is on full mag, sir,” replied Lt. Sulu.

“I don't see anything,” Kirk protested softly. “I can't understand it.”

Kirk mounted the step and leaned on one knee next to Spock, worldlessly asking his opinion.

“Invisibility is theoretically possible, Captain, with selective bending of light,” said Spock. What was too much, what would a science officer have already researched? “But the power cost is enormous. They may have solved that problem.”

“Continuing to challenge, sir,” Uhura reported. “Still no response.”

“Discontinue. Contact remaining outposts. Have them signal us any sightings or sensor readings in their area.” 

Uhura confirmed the order. 

“Blip has changed its heading, Captain,” Spock said with some surprise. “And in a very leisurely manoeuvre. They may not be aware of us.”

“Their invisibility screen may work both ways,” Kirk surmised. “With that kind of power consumption, they may not be able to see us.”

Gods, had he said too much? He had no idea. 

“His heading is now one eleven mark fourteen,” Spock said. “The exact heading a Romulan vessel would take, Jim. For the Neutral Zone, and home.”

Spock was pleading with Kirk, using his given name, the word home. He wanted them all to leave, he wanted this to be over now, before anyone else got hurt, but Spock knew Kirk had no way to understand what he was trying to say. Kirk only understood that they were almost certainly facing Romulans now, and they must engage.

“Parallel course,” Kirk ordered, moving down in front of the navigation console. 

“Don't you mean interception course, sir?” protested Stiles.

“Negative,” Kirk said, and Stiles looked visibly distraught.

“You and Mister Sulu will match its course and speed with the object on our sensors exactly, move for move,” Kirk elaborated. “If he has sensors, I want him to think we're a reflection, an echo. Under no circumstances are you to cross into the Neutral Zone without my direct orders.”

“Acknowledged, sir,” said Sulu.

“Cancel battle stations,” Kirk ordered. “All decks, standby alert.”

Sulu confirmed, but Stiles turned his chair to argue as the Captain moved behind him.

“Captain! May I respectfully remind the Captain what has happened? The Romulans have crossed the Neutral Zone, attacked our outposts, killed our men.”

“Mister Stiles,” Kirk warned, but Stiles didn’t stop.

“Add to that the fact it was a sneak attack!”

“Mister Stiles, are you questioning my orders?” Kirk prodded calmly.

“Negative, sir,” Stiles said quickly. “I’m pointing out that we could have Romulan spies aboard this ship!”

Kirk paused at that. They all did. A possibility they hadn’t considered, and curse Stiles for making them.

“I agree, sir,” Sulu said after a moment. “Respectfully recommend all decks maintain security alert.”

“Very well,” Kirk agreed, smoothly compensating for the surprise. “All decks, security alert.”

If they conducted a systematic search, if they looked at Spock’s computers… he had to do something to cast suspicion away from himself.

“Picking up communication,” Uhura reported. “It's from their ship.”

“Pipe it in.”

“Sounds like code, sir.”

Spock couldn’t let them break the code, or continue the dialogue about spies. He had to provide a distraction.

“I have a fix on it, Captain,” he said. “I believe I can lock on it, get a picture of their Bridge.”

Romulan soldiers went helmed. A visual would do no one any good, or any harm. 

“Put it on the screen,” said Kirk, turning intently.

The image shimmered into being as Spock adapted the signal. Four Rihannsu in gray and red uniforms, with gold helmets, bending over control stations… And one unhelmed, facing away from the camera. The captain, or a high-ranking officer. One of the soldiers approached him, saluted, and carried on past the camera. 

The officer turned, watching the soldier leave, and they all saw his face. Pointed ears, slanted eyebrows… Just like a Vulcan. Just like Spock. 

The bridge collectively gasped, got up to look closer, glanced back at Spock. But while they were shocked, and suspecting him, and Spock felt a building panic at the mistake he’d just made, he was also stunned for his own sake.

The Rihannsu captain on the screen was his father.

~

At first, Spock was terrified. Most of the crew stared at the face on the screen in astonishment, but Stiles turned around to stare at Spock. 

Aside from that, no one reacted immediately. They slowly resumed their posts, and Spock did the same, quietly “losing” the Romulan video signal. He busied himself at his station, but he still felt eyes on him. When he finally turned, he saw Stiles, staring in Spock’s direction with barely checked bitterness.

Kirk circled the helm, and Stiles refocused on his station.

Kirk turned to face Uhura. “Decoding?”

“Cryptography is working on it, sir.” 

“Give it to Spock,” Stiles muttered, loud enough for everyone to hear.

Kirk approached him again. “I didn't quite get that, Mister Stiles.”

“Nothing, sir.”

“Repeat it,” Kirk ordered, still casual.

“I was suggesting that Mister Spock could probably translate it for you, sir,” said Stiles.

“I assume you're complimenting Mister Spock on his ability to decode.”

“I'm not sure, sir,” answered Stiles. Spock appreciated his candor, if nothing else.

“Well, here's one thing you can be sure of, Mister.” Kirk pushed Stiles’ chair around and leaned over him, but his voice didn’t vary from its calm, clipped tone. “Leave any bigotry in your quarters. There's no room for it on the Bridge. Do I make myself clear?”

“You do, sir.”

Kirk nodded and stepped away. Spock raised an eyebrow and turned back to his own work. He was safe, at least for a little while, even if it was undeserved. But Kirk… Kirk would put himself on the line for Spock. He couldn’t let Kirk do that again, but how could he possibly intervene? He probably wouldn’t even have a chance to speak to Kirk alone, possibly ever again, if they didn’t make it through this mission. Gods…

“Transmission has been cut off,” Uhura announced. She offered Spock an orange microtape. “I made a tape of it, sir.”

“Very well.” He took the tape and began a computer analysis without paying very much attention to it. He knew the computer wouldn’t break the code, only Spock could do that.

“Something visual ahead, Captain,” Sulu reported. They all saw a tiny warbird appear in the center of the screen. “At extreme range. He's changing course, sir.” 

“Stay with him, helm,” Kirk answered, leaning over Sulu intently.

“Turning, sir. We're staying with them.” 

“Steady on one-eleven mark fourteen,” Spock reported. “Back on their original course, Captain, toward the Neutral Zone.”

Kirk moved around the bridge, thinking. “What's our position, navigator?”

“We'll enter the Neutral Zone in less than an hour, sir,” Stiles reported. “Assuming, of course, that we don't turn back.”

His tone made it quite clear what he thought of that option.

“We now have aboard debris from Outpost 4, Captain,” Chief Engineer Scott reported over the intercom. 

“Bring it to the briefing room,” Kirk answered, then looked around the bridge. “Are you ready, gentlemen?”

He headed to the turbolift without looking back. Spock, Stiles, and Sulu all fell into step behind him. Spock couldn’t speak to Kirk alone, but he would angle for more information to protect all of them, and try to convince the captain to withdraw.

~

Spock carried a small piece of curved metal around the briefing room, showing it to the other officers. 

“From the outpost's protective shield,” he explained. “Cast rodinium. This is the hardest substance known to our science.”

He sat down, crushing it effortlessly with one hand. “The lab theorizes an enveloping energy plasma forcing an implosion.” 

Kirk looked around the room. “Comments?”

The others showed no reaction, but Spock answered immediately. “Obviously, their weaponry is superior to ours, and they have a practical invisibility screen.”

“You're discussing tactics,” snapped McCoy. “Do you realise what this really comes down to? Millions and millions of lives hanging on what this vessel does next.” 

“Or on what this vessel fails to do, Doctor,” Spock answered. McCoy’s histrionics, well-meant though they might be, would not distract him from his mission. Get the _Enterprise_ out of danger, so he could keep Kirk safe and leave no one the wiser.

“Yes, well gentlemen, the question still remains,” said Kirk. “Can we engage them with a reasonable possibility of victory?”

“No question,” answered Engineer Scott. “Their power is simple impulse.”

_Damn it, Scotty, I’m trying to save us._

“Meaning we can outrun them,” said Kirk, with a wolfish grasp on the tactical advantage.

“To be used in chasing them or retreating, sir?” asked Stiles, in the same low, slightly bitter tone he had used on the bridge. He looked up at the Captain, as if waiting to be shut down.

“Go ahead, Mister Stiles,” said Kirk. “I called this session for opinions.”

“We have to attack immediately,” Stiles said.

“Explain,” Kirk prompted.

Stiles was happy to press further. “They're still on our side of the Neutral Zone. There would be no doubt they broke the treaty.” 

“Attack, without a visible target?” interjected Sulu. “How do we aim our phasers?” 

“Aim with sensors! Not accurate, but if we blanket them--”

“And hope for a lucky shot before they zero in on us?” Sulu continued, unimpressed.

“And if we don't?” Stiles responded. A tinge of frenzy had entered his voice. “Once back, they'll report that we saw their weapons and ran!” 

“And if they could report they destroyed us?” Sulu asked. 

“These are Romulans!” Stiles cried, standing up from his seat and leaning over the table. “You run away from them and you guarantee war. They'll be back. Not just one ship but with everything they've got.”

Stiles turned on Spock. “You know that, Mr. Science Officer. You're the expert on these people, but you’ve always left out that one point. Why? I'm very interested in why!”

“Sit down, Mister,” said Kirk, and Stiles sat, although unhappily.

Spock had watched the exchange silently. He knew he hadn’t betrayed anything in his expression; after all these years as a Vulcan he was aware of every move he made, every previously-involuntary twitch and glance. But internally, he was thinking hard. Sulu had made all the points Spock would have, and perhaps more believably as helmsman than Spock would have as first officer. But Stiles wasn’t wrong, at least in spirit. Spock, the character Havraha had created, had never claimed to be “expert on these people.” But he understood the allegation behind the statement, and if he contested anything Stiles had said, it would only make him look more suspicious. 

No one expected Spock to respond, Stiles had gone beyond his bounds as a junior officer. Spock drew their attention anyway and directed himself to Kirk. “I agree. Attack.”

They all looked at him in surprise.

“Are you suggesting we fight, to prevent a fight?” Kirk asked.

“Based on what?” McCoy barked, predictably horrified. “Memories of a war over a century ago? On theories about a people we've never even met face to face?”

“We know what they look like,” said Stiles, with a baleful look at Spock.

“Yes, indeed we do, Mister Stiles,” Spock answered, without really speaking to Stiles. Spock’s attention was on Kirk, and McCoy over Kirk’s shoulder. “And if Romulans are an offshoot of my Vulcan blood, and I think this likely, then attack becomes even more imperative.”

“War is never imperative, Mister Spock,” McCoy said more quietly.

“It is for them, Doctor,” Spock answered urgently. This was the delicate part. He spoke to Kirk, again begging him to understand, to hear the meaning behind the words carefully chosen _not_ to impart that meaning. “Vulcan, like Earth, had its aggressive colonising period. Savage, even by Earth standards. And if Romulans retain this martial philosophy, then weakness is something we dare not show.” 

“Do you want a galactic war on your conscience?” McCoy gasped. 

“I wasn’t finished, Doctor,” Spock answered. “This is the rationale Mr. Stiles has proposed, and based on my limited knowledge of Romulan culture, I cannot fault his logic. But -- Captain -- based on this logic, if neither side can be perceived to flinch, I extrapolate a war with devastating consequences.”

_Please, Captain. Find another way. Or let it be someone else. Just not you._

The officers glanced at each other, but stayed silent, waiting for Kirk’s response. Spock couldn’t read his expression.

After a moment, Kirk toggled a switch to call the bridge. He spoke to Uhura briefly, learning only that they could not expect orders from Starfleet Command in fewer than three hours. He closed the channel. “Check our course ahead, Mister Spock.”

Spock obeyed. “A comet, magnitude seven, dead ahead, and the intruder changing course toward it.” 

“Comet Icarus 4.” Kirk knew already. He offered Spock a reference text. “Composition?”

“Quite ordinary,” Spock answered, declining the text. “An ionised mass, a trail of frozen vapour particles.” 

“And when an object passes through it, even an invisible object?”

“It leaves a visible trail,” Spock finished, understanding Kirk’s plan.

“Our chance, gentlemen,” Kirk confirmed. He pressed the intercom switch. “Prepare to attack. All hands, battle stations.” 

Klaxons blared, and Spock left the room with the others. Kirk and McCoy stayed behind, not leaving Spock any more time to speak. Kirk still hoped to stop this before it started, not foist it on the next captain, the next battle. Spock had failed.

~

Spock walked back onto the bridge and resumed his station, keeping the dread out of his face. He listened to Kirk’s plan, an “end run” to swerve around the comet and catch the Rihannsu ship the moment it entered and became visible. The plan might work, if Spock didn’t intervene. He still didn’t know if he should, if he was meant to betray his cover to save the ship. In the event of a war, wouldn’t he be more valuable remaining on the _Enterprise_? Even while he calculated his duty as an agent, all his time as a Starfleet officer, all his time with Jim, begged him to tell the truth, to use what knowledge he had in service of his captain.

He noted the readout on his screen and moved down to Jim’s side. “We're losing sensor contact, Captain.”

Perhaps the Rihannsu ship might still lose them, and all this could be avoided.

“Steady as she goes,” said Kirk. “Phaser crews ready?”

“Phaser crews signal ready, sir,” Sulu confirmed.

“He'll only be visible for a moment,” Kirk cautioned. “Stand by.”

Sulu leaned toward the screen, waiting for a ship that didn’t appear. “Sir, nothing in-- 

Spock began, “At the last moment he must have--”

“He must have guessed our move,” Kirk finished. “Hard to starboard, helm!”

Sulu obeyed. 

“He did exactly what I would have done,” Kirk brooded, moving to the front of the bridge. “I won't underestimate him again. Now, fire blind. Lay down a pattern.”

“Traverse pattern,” Stiles answered. “All phasers fire.”

They seemed to achieve a hit, but then the bridge went dark. Sulu, Stiles, and Kirk all bent over the helm station.

“Phaser overload, control circuit burnout,” said Sulu. 

Spock looked to the access panel under his workstation and saw flames. He crawled down and started putting them out, latching onto an idea at the same time.

“It'll take time to correct, sir,” he reported. Not technically a lie.

“Captain, are they surrendering?” Sulu asked, peering at the viewscreen again. The Rihannsu ship reappeared.

Kirk moved back to his chair, watching carefully. Before the red plasma ball emerged, he was already shouting, “Full astern! Emergency warp speed!”

The ship disappeared, but the plasma ball remained.

“Do we have emergency warp?” Kirk asked, eyes still fixed on the screen.

“Full power, sir,” reported Sulu. “It's still overtaking us. If we can get one phaser working, sir, one shot might detonate it.”

“Navigation?” Kirk asked, standing again.

“Estimate it'll overtake us in two minutes, sir,” Stiles reported.

Spock could keep the _Enterprise_ from getting the shot. By his calculations, at these speeds, the plasma would disperse before it seriously injured them. He could save them, without acting against the Empire. 

Of course, he couldn’t test his theory. Maybe the Rihannsu scientists had extended the range.

“Phasers, Mister Spock?” Kirk asked.

“Impossible, Captain.” Spock’s hands were shaking inside the machinery.

Two minutes was too long. He should tell them they weren’t going to die, but what if they did?

They waited. Kirk made a record, handed it to an operations crewman to jettison. His yeoman, Janice Rand, approached him.

“Captain, should I continue log entry?” she interrupted.

“Yeoman,” Kirk sighed with more irritation than he intended. Then he caught himself, moving to the front of the bridge and speaking in a gentler tone. “Affirmative. Continue log entries.”

“Yes, sir.” 

“Ten seconds to impact,” Sulu announced. “Captain, It's dissipating, sir.”

“It must have a range limit!” cried Stiles.

“Five, four, three, two, one,” Sulu counted. “Impact!”

The bridge shook, everyone stumbled -- Rand had moved into Kirk’s arms at the last moment, and they both caught themselves against the bridge’s railing -- but no one was injured.

“Limited range,” Kirk murmured intently, sensing a weakness.

Spock closed his panel and resumed his station, now that there was no need to feign the ship’s injury. His guess had paid off. “Phasers operational, Captain. Intruder bearing one-eleven mark fourteen.” 

“Back to his old course.”

“He may think we're destroyed, Captain,” Spock suggested.

“I wouldn't make that assumption,” Kirk mused. “I don't think their Captain will either.”

“Intruder holding steady,” Spock reported. “Course one eleven mark fourteen.”

“Same as before, Mister Sulu,” Kirk ordered. He rubbed his lip with one finger. “Stay with him.”

Minutes passed, and the bridge crew worked silently, preparing as much as they could. Spock did the same. At one point, he moved down to the navigator’s station, leaned over Stiles to view the board, and then made eye contact with him. Spock had needed to see the board, but he couldn’t do that without meeting Stiles’ gaze, otherwise he would look afraid, and he must not look afraid. Then he moved around to Kirk’s chair, as he saw Dr. McCoy approach.

“We’ll enter the Neutral Zone in one minute, Captain,” Stiles reported.

“Do we violate the treaty, Captain?” asked McCoy, playing his usual role of aggressively compassionate advocate.

“They did, Doctor,” Spock said. He was confused, trying not to let his emotions get away with him. Minutes ago he had left the _Enterprise_ ’s phasers drained so they couldn’t get an upper hand, while now he was quietly encouraging an attack. Was he still trying to protect Kirk, by attacking now and winning? As far as he knew, the Rihannsu ship remained undamaged. If they ran, it would probably turn and finish them off. But if Kirk destroyed the ship, and Spock’s father with it…

McCoy glanced up at him with the usual level of irritation. “Once inside, they can claim we did. A set-up. They want war, we furnish the provocation.”

This, too, was true. For all Spock knew, the Rihannsu ship wanted to be chased and destroyed, to begin a glorious war. If Spock interfered with that, he would rob his father of an honorable death, one his father would not want to lose.

“We're still on our side, Captain,” said Spock seriously. He wouldn’t push it further, he couldn’t be sure.

Kirk kept his eyes on the screen, his voice level. “Let's get them while we are. Before we enter the Neutral Zone. Full ahead, Mister Sulu. Maximum warp.”

“Ahead, sir. Maximum.”

“Phasers, stand by.”

“Sir, at this distance?” Stiles questioned.

“We know their Achilles heel, Mister Stiles,” Kirk responded. “Their weapon takes all their energy. They must become visible in order to launch it.”

“A phaser hit at this distance would be the wildest stroke of luck!” Stiles said.

“I'm aware of that, Mister Stiles.” Velvet and steel. “Are phasers ready?”

“Phasers show ready, sir.”

Stiles fired, and the bridge flashed dark each time.

“Twenty seconds to Neutral Zone, sir,” reported Stiles.

Kirk’s voice slowed, but didn’t waver. “Lieutenant Uhura, inform Command base, in my opinion, no option. On my responsibility, we are proceeding into the Neutral Zone. Steady as we go, Mister Sulu. Continue firing.”

“Motion sensor signal stopped,” Spock announced after a few moments, looking into his monitor.

“Cease fire,” Kirk commanded immediately.

“Debris scatter ahead, sir,” reported Sulu. “We've hit him.” 

“Vessel wreckage,” said Spock, as he scanned the materials. “Metal moulds, conduit, plastaform, and a body, Captain. However…”

Kirk stood, quickly moving to the railing. “However?”

“Insufficient mass, sir.”

“What?”

“Simple debris. Not a vessel, a trick,” Spock explained, clipping his words closely. Perhaps his father’s plan wasn’t to be destroyed, after all.

“Go to sensor probes.” 

“Nothing, sir. No motion out there at all.” He looked up, making eye contact with Jim this time. “We've lost them, Captain.”

Kirk hesitated, then nodded. 

“Go to silent running,” he ordered the bridge at large, and lights began to dim as each officer shut down their systems. The captain made a brief log entry to mark his decision. They would wait, as the Rihannsu did the same, and hope the Rihannsu made the first mistake.

Spock knew he couldn’t continue like this, at the mercy of his own impulses, with no information to guide him.

Kirk circled the bridge, eyeing the displays as they turned dark. Spock moved to stop him.

“Captain, I must make further repairs on the transfer coil. It's giving out again.”

“All right, Mister Spock,” Kirk murmured. “Work quietly.”

Spock moved back to his station. He wondered if Jim had heard a tinge of emotion in his voice, of deception, but hoped… he didn’t know what he hoped. That Kirk would write it off as pressure, nerves from the situation, from Stiles’ accusations? He irrationally wanted Kirk to confront him, to drag the truth out of him, but that couldn’t happen. Wouldn’t happen. Kirk respected his privacy, as he should. It was Spock who had betrayed that respect.

He had to contact the Rihannsu ship, and his father.

~

_Jim Kirk stared at the featureless ceiling of his quarters. The ship had been motionless for hours now, and he’d tried to rest, but it was impossible when any moment might bring not only his own death and that of his crew, but another interstellar war._

_Yeoman Rand walked into his quarters without any more warning than the whoosh of the door -- he’d left it on automatic, in case of emergency. She stopped short, and he glanced at her without moving. In another situation, this might be an uncomfortably intimate moment, but he couldn’t spare the attention, and she knew better than to expect it by now. Rand was hardly the first woman to be swayed by a handsome face and the position of starship captain, he’d used that magnetism to his own benefit in many other situations, but he would never begin a relationship with a junior member of his crew. Especially not his personal yeoman. The power differential was too great... and his first obligation was to his ship._

_“Can I get you something from the galley, sir?” she asked. He shook his head minutely. “Coffee, at least?”_

_He swung to a sitting position, leaning on his hands, his head and back bowed heavily. “Thank you, Yeoman. Bring it to the bridge. I'll be there in a moment.”_

_The bridge, where Spock was undoubtedly still working. The Vulcan could function for several days without rest, if he needed to -- sometimes only if he wanted to finish a particularly fascinating project. Spock’s presence had always both calmed and electrified Kirk, and they worked together on an almost instinctive level. It was that subconscious awareness that now told him something was wrong. He had never known Spock to react so erratically, but those subtle moods were blinking back and forth like a red-alert siren._

_He had always trusted Spock with his life, and Spock had never given him reason to doubt that trust. And if he were ever to break the self-imposed law against personal relationships… Well, he couldn’t take himself too far down that road. Better not to think about it._

_“Yes, sir,” Rand said, responding to his request for coffee._

_She turned and walked out the door, exchanging looks with Dr. McCoy as he entered, equally unannounced. Jim looked up and smiled at his old friend._

_“I wish I were on a long sea voyage somewhere,” Jim mused. He knew Bones would pick up the thread. “Not too much deck tennis, no frantic dancing, and no responsibility.”_

_Bones smiled, but they both heard the serious in Kirk’s last words._

_“Why me?” Jim asked, looking at his quarters more than McCoy. “I look around that bridge, and I see the men waiting for me to make the next move. And Bones...”_

_Jim looked up at his friend again, trusting him to hear what Jim wasn’t saying. They’d never spoken about Spock, not about their friendship or the unique connection between them, but McCoy knew. He understood people, even green-blooded ones, and he’d seen Spock on the bridge. He knew what Spock had always meant to Kirk, and what it would mean..._

_“Bones, what if I'm wrong?”_

_“Captain, I--”_

_Jim stood and moved to leave. “No, I don't really expect an answer.”_

_McCoy raised a hand, physically stopping Kirk from brushing past. He spoke quietly, slowly, not making eye contact. “But I've got one. Something I seldom say to a customer, Jim. In this galaxy, there's a mathematical probability of three million Earth-type planets. And in all of the universe, three million million galaxies like this. And in all of that, and perhaps more, only one of each of us. Don't destroy the one named Kirk.”_

_Good advice, but where Spock was concerned, Jim wasn’t sure he had any choice._

~

Kirk reentered the bridge before Spock was ready. It had taken hours to prepare his message, pretending to work on the transfer coil at the same time. He’d hoped Kirk wouldn’t be there when he put his plan into motion. 

Still, he had to go through with it. He closed the panel underneath his station, slowly reached up to his board as if to help himself stand, and “accidentally” pressed a button. A shrill noise blared through the hushed silence, and Stiles jumped to his feet, crying “What!”

Spock quickly silenced the noise, and Kirk grabbed Stiles, holding him back.

“Spock,” Kirk pressed.

“It’s all right, Captain. Merely an alert, no system that another ship would be able to detect.”

Kirk met his eyes, then nodded, moving Stiles back into his seat.

Spock had to hope they took his word and didn’t check too deeply into the alert. It hadn’t just been a sound, it had been a concentrated burst sent out to the Rihannsu ship. He’d identified himself and asked for instructions. He’d also given them the _Enterprise_ ’s location, by sending the message. He would’ve rather avoided that, but nothing could be done. 

After a sufficient amount of time had passed, Spock excused himself to take a rest period, and Kirk assented. 

Spock went directly to his quarters and opened his lowest drawer. He kept a trinket there, one which appeared to be of Vulcan origin and to have no obvious use. He twisted the top in a particular fashion, and it opened out into a small transmitter. His timing had been accurate -- he only had to wait a few moments before receiving a signal. 

The message was brief: ESCAPE IF POSSIBLE. SUICIDE BEFORE TORTURE.

Spock could infer the rest. It wasn’t a suicide mission, the Rihannsu ship hadn’t intended for Starfleet to apprehend them. They wanted to preserve that brand-new ship with its state-of-the-art weapons and cloaking device, and have it bring home intelligence from its experiments with Federation outposts. But the Rihannsu did mean to start a war, and soon, otherwise it would be best for Spock to remain in his place. They wanted his information now, and would try to free him since there would never be a better chance, but if it was a choice between that and Starfleet getting information out of _him_ , he was expendable.

_Escape if possible_. Clear instructions, but he heard the whoosh of a door behind him, turned, and knew he’d made a mistake. Four security guards moved into the room, drawing their phasers when they saw the object in his hands. Kirk stood behind them, his eyes pained, his mouth set in a stony line.

Spock hadn’t thought Uhura would be able to pinpoint the signal, but either he had underestimated her, or overestimated his ability to deceive Kirk. Whether it was an exact location, or only Kirk’s suspicions, the result had been the same.

He raised his hands slowly, palms up, the transmitter still open. Any attempt to explain would be comical. “There is no need for violence, Captain. Under the circumstances, I will come quietly.”

~

Two security officers escorted Spock to the brig, and he entered it without saying a word. The Captain hadn’t accompanied them, he’d stayed with the other two guards to look through Spock’s quarters, but Spock knew he would arrive soon.

Spock sat down on the hard bench to think. He shouldn’t give himself over to despair, no matter how much it might seem like a relief. Stay silent, or tell the truth? Either way, he’d never be Kirk’s friend again, when all Spock really wanted was for Jim to be safe. A realization that had come too late.

As long as Spock stayed in the brig, on the _Enterprise_ , there was a chance. His father would want Spock’s secrets, and only destroy the _Enterprise_ if he had to. Spock had to make Kirk understand, in reality this time, not with hopes.

He waited, but he didn’t have to wait long.

When Kirk appeared in the narrow brig doorway, his expression hadn’t changed. Spock could see the conflict in his eyes, but Kirk had chosen to cut himself off from that, not to give Spock any quarter.

“Where is the Romulan ship now?” Kirk began without preamble.

“I don’t know.”

“Are there other spies aboard this ship?”

“Jim…” Spock pleaded softly. They had other things to discuss than this.

“How long have you been working with the Romulans?”

“ _I am a Romulan._ ” 

Kirk froze, mouth slightly open. He’d still been hoping Spock was only caught up in something, had been “turned.” Not this. 

Spock stood and turned away, frustrated only with himself. He knew his face was betraying emotion Kirk had never seen.

“I didn’t know about the attack on your bases. I promise you that. But the Rihannsu Empire aims to start a war, because they now believe they have the power to win one.”

“Help us defend ourselves,” Kirk pressed.

The Rihannsu ship chose that moment to attack the _Enterprise_. Not with their plasma cannon, which would have given warning and possibly destroyed the ship, but with standard blasters. The ship rocked from side to side, throwing both Kirk and Spock against the walls.

Kirk moved to run, to contact the bridge, but Spock called out to him.

“Jim! The Romulan captain is my father. And he would prefer not to die today.”

Kirk glanced back, and nodded. Spock had provided a bargaining chip, and the terms of the bargain. Kirk ran for the bridge.

For someone of Spock’s skill and familiarity with the _Enterprise_ , it was no challenge to remove a small section of the bulkhead and access the comm system from behind. He kept it very quiet, so the guards outside wouldn’t hear, and listened to Kirk’s exchange with the Rihannsu ship.

“--demand that you hand over the officer Spock as collateral,” said the Rihannsu commander. The universal translator provided the words, but Spock could still hear the tone of his father’s voice and feel all the emotions and memories he had of it, good and bad. It had been so long.

“Your spy has been found out,” Kirk replied, all confidence, as if it meant nothing.

A pause.

“In that case, Captain Kirk, what reason have we not to destroy you now?”

“Your spy is refusing to talk, Commander. You lose nothing by waiting, and you have everything to gain by negotiating his release with the Federation.”

“What do you propose?”

“We both go our separate ways. Peacefully. Your spy remains unharmed, we both make our reports, and leave it in the hands of the diplomats. No one else has to die here today.”

Another long pause. Neither captain could know for sure that the other would keep his word, but Spock thought the rewards were great enough for both of them to agree. The time for secrecy would soon be at an end, either way. The Rihannsu ship could outgun the Enterprise, but it would be a bloody fight, both ships might be destroyed, and there would be no chance of recovering Spock that way.

“Very well, Captain Kirk. We will part ways. I will remember this day, and I will not forgive any treachery.”

His father closed the channel, and Spock turned off the comm. The bridge crew’s deliberations didn’t interest him any further. Kirk would keep his word, and turn Spock over to Starfleet. His options were to talk, becoming a double agent and a turncoat, or to stay silent, perhaps be traded back to the Empire, or more likely tried and imprisoned. 

He hadn’t made a decision to serve Starfleet, he had made a decision to protect Jim Kirk. He had done that, and ended their relationship forever. There was now no reason to stay.

For someone of Spock’s skill, and familiarity with the _Enterprise_ , getting out of the brig was no challenge at all.

~

_“Captain, we’re coming out of warp,” said Sulu. They were well out of the battle zone with the Romulan ship, and hadn’t felt a hit. Sulu pressed several buttons and checked his readouts for an error, but couldn’t find one._

_Kirk flicked a switch on his chair. “Scotty, what’s going on down there?”_

_“The engines are nae responding, Captain!”_

_“Captain,” Stiles interjected, “the shuttle bay doors are opening.”_

_“One shuttle preparing to launch, Captain,” said Uhura. “Unresponsive to hails.”_

_“Shut everything down!”_

_“Too late, Captain,” said Sulu. “We’re locked out of the computer.”_

_“The shuttle has launched,” Stiles reported. “Bay doors are closing now.”_

_Jim knew it was Spock. It couldn’t be anyone else. Jim still hadn’t fully processed what had happened, it felt like a strange dream that couldn’t possibly be real, but he should’ve known Spock could escape any time he wanted. Maybe Jim had avoided thinking about that because he wanted Spock to escape too, so neither of them would have to face each other again. So he wouldn’t have to see his best friend stand trial for espionage._

_“Picking up a signal from the shuttle, Captain,” Uhura said. “On the Romulan frequency, unencrypted.”_

_“Put it on speaker.”_

_“This is Agent Havraha ir-Ra'tleihfi tr’Ahaefvthe of the Rihannsu Empire. I have escaped the starship Enterprise, and will rendezvous with you at the attached coordinates inside the Neutral Zone.”_

_“Agent Havraha, is there any chance of apprehending the Enterprise?”_

_“No, commander. I had to maintain silence to prevent the Enterprise from detecting me. The ship has been gone for some time.”_

_“Very well, Agent. We will rendezvous shortly.”_

_Uhura put a hand to her ear. “Signal ended, Captain.”_

_Sulu flicked a switch. “We have engine capability.”_

_“Weapons? Tractor beam?”_

_“Not yet, sir.”_

_Kirk frowned, rubbing his lip with one hand. Spock had saved them, twice, but also betrayed them more deeply than Kirk ever would have imagined, and Jim had no idea how to think of him anymore. “Resume course for nearest starbase, Lieutenant.”_

_“Aye, sir.”_

_All Kirk had left was his duty, and that would have to be enough… at least for now._


End file.
